The Obama administration is considering other candidates to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, congressional staff said Thursday, a week after it became clear that nominee Ron Binz doesn’t have the votes to get a favorable nod from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

“The committee is aware that other candidates are being considered to lead FERC,” panel Democratic spokesman Keith Chu told POLITICO.

A spokesman for Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the committee’s top Republican, welcomed the news.

“We do think there are qualified candidates out there who would be less controversial than Mr. Binz,” the spokesman, Robert Dillon, said in an email.

At a press briefing Thursday afternoon, White House press secretary Jay Carney didn’t directly answer a question about whether the administration was looking for a new candidate for FERC chairman.

“Look, Ron Binz is a qualified — is a very qualified candidate for the position that he’s been nominated for, and he’s one of — I forget the number — 100, 120, 140 nominees that are pending before the Senate, and that the Senate ought to act quickly on,” Carney said. “So he’s qualified and the Senate ought to act on his nomination.”

POLITICO reported Sept. 19 that Binz was facing a tie vote at best in the committee after all the panel’s Republicans and West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin came out against confirming him to head the agency, which regulates natural gas pipelines and the electric grid. POLITICO’s whip count was based on contacting committee members and their staffs.

Conservative groups have waged a surprisingly strong push against Binz, accusing him of bias against fossil fuels, while Murkowski accused Binz of misleading her about the extent of the backing his confirmation bid has drawn from green energy supporters.

A committee vote on Binz, which could occur Oct. 3, would be an especially tough decision for Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who faces reelection in 2014. She has yet to state a position on Binz.